Portable orchard-ladder.



W A MILLER PORTABLE ORCHARD LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3. 1914. 1,148,035.

Patented July 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

, :5 E H g W. A. MILLER.

PORTABLE ORCHARD LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 3, 19M.

Patented July 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

in a safe and "substantial manner.

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WARREN A. MILLER, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

PORTABLE ORCHARD-LADDER. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1915.

Application filed November 3, 1914. Serial N 0. 870,055.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WARREN A. lllILLER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Orchard-Ladders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in portable ladders of the character especially adapted for use in orchards for picking tree fruit, such as apples, peaches, etc.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of the above character which has a maximum of efficiency and by means of V which fruit may be gathered from all parts of the tree, and the work greatly facilitated.

To the above ends, the device comprises a wheeled frame with a main ladder pivoted thereon. Owing to the manner of mounting said ladder and its cotiperating devices, it may be quickly adjusted to any desired angle or position and there firmly supported The frame is of a character to provide against any possibility of tilting if any lateral weight be placed upon the upper end of the ladder. Furthermore, an extension ladder may be applied theret0,should it become necessary to lengthen the main ladder, without disturbing the equilibrium of the device. In addition to the main ladder, there are arranged, at a suitable point on the frame, stationary or non-adjustable ladders for use in picking fruit from the lower branches of the trees, and cooperative features, all of which will be hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimproved portable orchard ladder, showing the main ladder in several positions, full lines and dotted lines; Fig. 2'is a top plan 'view of the same; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. l is a detail perspective view of one of the I basket-supporting shelves; Fig. 5 is a' detail view of the rest for the forward endof the frame; Fig. 6 is an elevation of the stationary ladders; Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the frame portions of the standards for the main ladder and other parts appearing in section; .Fig. 8 is a side elevation in de tail of the front end of the frame.

In the specification and drawings, similar reference characters represent correspondwardly and extending them as at M. The

rearward end of the side bars 1-1 are spread outwardly and downwardly as at 5-5 to form handles and the extreme ends of said handles are provided with feet 6-6 which rest upon the ground, and, owing to their flat character, are prevented from sinking into the ground. The frame thus constructed combines a minimum of weight and a maximum of strength. Near where the forward end of the frame is narrowed, tractors or wheels 7-7 are mounted on short axles 8-8.

It will be observed that the front crosstie-rod 2 is adjacent to the wheel axles, being slightly in the rear thereof. This is de- 5 sirable for the reason that the main ladder 9 is supported upon this tie-rod by means of two upright standards 10-10, the lower ends of which are mounted on said tie-rod 2 against the inner sides of the side frames 1-1. Braces 11-11 for said uprights or standards 10-10 extend from the side frames 1-1 to the upper ends of said standards. The main ladder 9 is pivoted on the top of the standards 10-10 by means of a metal pin 12 which is easily removable to enable the ladder to bedismounted. The main ladder 9 is constructed preferably of wood, and on each side thereof at the pivot pin 12, it is reinforced by metal plates 18-18. The lowermost round '14: of said ladder is metal and the central Y which inclose said tie-rod and abut at their outer ends against the lower ends of the ladder supporting standards 10-10. The

holding bar 16 has a suitable number of recesses 18 extending in from the lower edge thereof. The forward wall of each recess terminates in a hook 19 which lies below the lower round 14 of the ladder and thus the said holding bar is securely maintained in engagement with the ladder to hold the same in any desired position from a substantially upright position to the angle formed by connecting with the outermost recess 18 of said holding bar. At the front end where the frame is narrowed, a ground rest is pivoted consisting of a frame 20 the side members of which are provided with handles 21-21 and the cross-member of which is provided with a ground pin 22. lV hen the apparatus is moved to a position for work, the said rest is lowered to support the front end thereof. Then it is desired to transport the apparatus from one position of the orchard to another or from one part of a tree to another, the rest is thrown up and the handles 21-21 may be used to draw or pull the same, or the handle ends of the side frames ll may be similarly used, it being possible to move the apparatus from either end. Each side member of said rest is provided with an arm or projection 2323 which engages stops 2424 on the inner sides of the front ends of the side frames 11. Thus the rest is prevented from moving in when lowered to the ground. At the rear part of the frame, two ladders 2525 of a stationary character are rigidly supported from the side bars 1 1. These ladders are for picking the fruit from the lower branches and are preferably connected at the tops by the continuous side members thereof, which are constructed of metal. The upper connecting parts of said ladders form a bridge which supports a platform or shelf 26 upon which the operator may stand or upon which baskets may rest to receive the gathered fruit. The shelf 26 is securely attached in its position by any suitable means and consists of an extension 27 which lies on one side of the connected tops of the ladders, out of the way of the person or persons on said ladders. Interposed between the ladder 26 and the standards 1010, is a drop shelf 28 which, when in a serviceable position, is connected with the shelf 26 and spans the space between the stationary ladders and the standards 10-10. This shelf 28 afiords a convenient place for the baskets, and when not in use the end thereof which is supported by the shelf 26 may be disconnected therefrom and the shelf allowed to drop and be suspended from the pivot pin 12. Each end of said shelf is provided with hooks 29 and 30, the former comprising an undetachable connection with said pivot pin and the latter being disconnectible from the permanent shelf 26. The supplemental stepladders 25 also afford means for supporting the pivotal ladder 9 in a horizontal position. The pivotal ladder when in this position enables the same to act as a scaffold for persons to stand upon and thus a number of persons can be employed to pick the fruit from the lower branches of the trees. In Fig. 1 of the drawings, the dotted lines show the position of the pivotal ladder 9 when the same is lowered to a position to be supported by the stationary ladders. It will be understood that the major length of the pivotal ladder is on the side of the frame upon which the stationary ladders are supported when said pivotal ladder is lowered to a horizontal position. It will be understood that in such case the shelf 28 is detached from the stationary ladders and permitted to swing from the fulcrum 12 of the pivotal ladder.

Having described my invention, I claim. 1. An orchardladder, comprising a frame which extends outwardly at one end and terminates in feet which support said frame in a horizontal position when stationary, wheels upon which said frame is mounted said wheels being positioned forward of the center of the frame, upright standards mounted in the rear of and adjacent to the r wheel axles, braces united to said standards and to the frame in the rear of said standards, a ladder fulcrumed on said standards, and a holding bar pivotally united to the frame in the rear of the wheel axles and adapted to engage a rung of the ladder to hold said ladder in different positions, substantially as specified.

2. An orchard ladder, comprising a frame the rearward end of which is spread out- 1 wardly and terminates in feet and the forward end of which is contracted, wheels upon which said frame is mounted said wheels being positioned forward of the median portion of the frame, a pivotal member mounted upon the forward end of said frame and constituting a rest for the frame when lowered and a frame handle when elevated, upright standards mounted in the rear of and adjacent to the, wheel axles, braces united to said standards and to the frame in the rear of the standards, a ladder fulcrumed on the upper ends of said standards, and a holding bar pivotally united to the frame in the rear of the wheel axles and adapted to engage a rung of the ladder to hold said ladder in difierent positions, substantially as specified.

8. A ladder of the character described, comprising frame members the rearward ends of which spread outwardly and downwardly and terminate in supporting feet, a rest pivotally mounted on the forward ends of said frame members and cooperating with said feet to maintain the frame members in a horizontal position when stationary, stops on said frame members for limiting the inward movement of said rest, wheels upon which said frame members are mounted said Wheels being positioned forward of the middle portion of the frame members, upright standards mounted on said frame members in the rear of and adjacent to the wheel axles, braces connected to said standards and to the frame members in the rear of the standards, a pivotal ladder fulcrumed on said standards, a holding bar pivoted to the frame members in the rear of the wheel axles and cooperating with a rung of said ladder to hold the, same in various positions, supplemental stationary ladders mounted on the rear portion of said frame members, and a shelf supported on the fulcrum member of the pivotal ladder and said stationary ladders, substantially as specified.

4. A device of the character specified, comprising a frame the side members of which are contracted at the forward end of said frame, and the rear ends of said side members are turned outwardly and down- Wardly and terminate in feet, a pivotal rest mounted on the forward end of said frame and cooperating with said feet to maintain the frame in a horizontal position, wheels upon which said frame is supported said wheels being in the rear of and adjacent to the contracted end of said frame, upright standards attached to said frame adjacent to the wheel axles, braces connecting the central portion of said frame with said standards, a main ladder pivoted to said standards, stationary ladders mounted upon the rearward end of said frame and extending in a plane coincident with the pivot of said first 'named ladder and adapted to support said first named ladder in a horizontal position, and a holding bar adapted to hold said pivotal ladder in elevated positions, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WARREN A. MILLER. Witnesses:

MELLIE GALLOWAY, MATTHEW SIEBLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

